Unfinished Business
by Ms. Producer
Summary: Summary: Sequel to Home Coming: Dominic and the team go undercover for Hobbs to infiltrate the organization of the man who tore his family apart. The road to revenge gets complicated when they soon realize that everything isn't what it seems. Dominic/OFC Letty/Vince Brian/Mia Carter/OFC
1. Chapter 1

Title: Unfinished Business

Author: Ms. Producer

Chapter: 1 / ?

Fandom: The Fast and The Furious

Rating: M

Warnings: Adult Situations, Harsh Language, Sexual Situations

Orientation: Het

Pairing: Dominic/OFC Letty/Vince Brian/Mia Carter/OFC

Summary: Sequel to Home Coming: Dominic and the team go undercover for Hobbs to infiltrate the organization of the man who tore his family apart. The road to revenge gets complicated when they soon realize that everything isn't what it seems.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS FROM THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS. ALL ORIGINAL CHARACTERS WERE CREATED BY ME.

Feedback: Absolutely, I look forward to it.

Notes: Set two years after Home Coming

A cool breeze seeped through the bedroom window causing the navy blue drapes to dance in the gentle wind, but the gust of chilled air did nothing to take away the sweat beads forming all over Dominic's body. His fingers violently clutched the sheets with enough force to rip them. The veins in his hands became more visible as his hold got tighter. Dom's head thrashed from side to side as he mumble inaudible words, but he kept his eyes shut remaining trapped in his nightmare. Soon the torture got to be too much, and his silent battle became more vocal. He shouted for the one he love, the one he lost, and the woman he was currently dreaming about. Dom could see her, but he couldn't reach her, he tried calling her name, but she couldn't hear him. No matter how fast he ran, he couldn't get to her. She stood there on the edge of the cliff, when suddenly she turned around to look at Dom. This made him stop in his tracks. Her lips parted forming a smile, and then she took that final step off the edge.

Dom popped up in his bed, covered in a cold sweat. "Tori!" he called out still caught up in his dream. His chest frantically heaved up and down for a few moments, until he realized he was back in his room. He ran his hand down his face letting out a slow and easy breath trying to calm his raging heart, and all of this was working until he felt a warm hand on his back.

"Is everything okay babe?" came from a familiar woman's voice.

Dom's body jumped up from the bed looking at the woman lying next to him. He blinked his eyes several times trying to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but every time he opened them, it was the same person. "Tori… how did you…what are you doing here?"

Tori sat up looking at the confused man with a perplexed expression of her own. "I'm your wife, where else would I be?" she asked.

"I thought you were dead…" Dom replied sounding a bit uncertain.

Tori flipped the covers back, and got up from the bed. Dressed in her silk white nightgown, she walked over to where Dom stood by the window and wrapped her arms around his neck. He couldn't help his body from tensing at her touch. She felt this, and offer him a reassuring smile. "How could I be dead, if I'm standing right here?" Tori asked with a teasingly raised eyebrow, and Dom relaxed a little. "It was just a dream Dom."

His features softened, and his arms wrapped securely around her waist. "It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare." Dom spoke, still trying to shake the uneasy feeling.

"You don't have to worry because I'm here now." Tori stood on her toes to kiss his lips.

Dom's hands slid down her waist, giving her bottom a firm squeeze as he lifted her up. Their kiss was full of passionate want, and continued all the way over to the bed. Dom was basking in this moment. The familiar feel of her hands roaming up and down his back, and soft moans that would slowly escalate every time his lips came in contact with the spot above of her collarbone, this was what he needed. His mouth continued work on Tori's neck, making her body react to his every touch while his hands eased up her thighs, hiking her gown up along the way. Just as his fingers hooked along the sides of her panties, his motions stilled hearing a faint cry. Dom's head rose, giving Tori a puzzled look who in return let out a sigh. "What's that?" he asked

"Very funny Dom. We must have wakened the baby up." Tori pushed Dom off of her and got up from the bed. Dom sat on the edge of it watching her every movement while uttering the word 'baby' quietly to himself. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and checked the time on the clock while putting it on. "Well you have about forty-five minutes before the rest of the house wakes up, I suggest you use it wisely." After she tied the belt to her robe, she left the room.

Dom just sat there looking lost in thought. His eyes roamed the room, everything looked the same, but he knew things couldn't be more different. He buried his face in his hands and leaned back against the bed. As he lay there, he heard little feet rushing towards his room. He moved his hands away from his face just in time to see two little bodies barge into the room. Dom was in awe when the small children, one dressed in blue race car pajamas, and the other in pink princess sleepwear, jumped onto body. He let out a surprised gasp when knees and elbows hit him in random places.

"Good morning daddy!" The little girl squealed in excitement. Dom's eyes widened looking at the curly haired girl who was a spitting image of her mother. He sat up, and stared at her. She tilted her head to the side and squeezed his cheeks together with small hands. "What's wrong daddy?"

"Yeah, you look sick." The boy chimed in as he held one of Dom's eyelid's open.

Dom was in a daze looking back and forth between the two children in front of him. An easy smile spread out across his face. He stretched out his arms pulling them into a tight embrace. "Nothing's wrong angel… everything's right."

"You're choking us dad." The boy laughed out in amusement as he wrapped his hands around Dom's huge biceps. He released them, but was still smiling from ear to ear. His daughter occupied his lap and his son took to jumping up and down on the bed. "Hey dad, can I go to work with you today?" the boy asked while jumping.

"Mom's gonna say no." The girl replied teasingly.

"Mom's gonna say no about what?" Tori asked walking back into the room, with a baby in her arms. Dom had a wide eyed dreamy expression as he watched her enter the room with the infant.

"Dominic wants to go to the garage with daddy."

"Well then yes, that would be a no." Tori sat down on the bed next to Dom and commenced to feeding their baby boy.

"I don't see why he can't come." Dom said to Tori. Out the corner of his eye he caught the bright and eager grin from his son.

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the large man sitting next to her with the same grin that matched her son's. "Dom, we talked about this. That's not exactly the safest place for the kids to be."

"He'll be fine, he's not a baby." said Dom.

"Yeah, I'm not a baby." Dominic Jr. mimicked.

Tori looked back and forth between Dom and his mini me. She let out a defeated sigh seeing their pleading brown eyes. "I'll think about it." She replied, and Dom winked his eye at his son. "I saw that." said Tori.

"Can we go to the beach today?" The curly haired girl asked in a bubbly upbeat tone.

"We can do whatever you want." Dom leaned back against the bed and lifted the child up in the air making her feel like she could fly.

"You're gonna spoil them Dom." Tori stated as she watched him play with the kids.

"That's my job." Dom replied. He brought his daughter down from the air, grabbed his son and began to tickle them. They both were giggling and squirming around until suddenly his daughter stopped. "What wrong angel?" he asked.

A frown came to her face while looking at her father. "I don't want you to leave."

Dom tilted his head to the side looking at her with confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

"But you have to." His son spoke up, shifting attention to him. "You can't stay here with us."

Tori laid a gentle hand on his face and caressed his cheek. "They're right. It's time for you to wake up Dom."

Dom's head popped up from the stirring wheel. He looked around and saw that he was alongside a deserted road. There was a knocking sound at his window; he turned to see a highway patrolman standing there on his driver side. Dom rolled down window, for the awaiting officer.

"Having car trouble?" The officer asked.

Dom's eyes squinted from the sun as he tried to look up at the man. "No, I was just resting my eyes. I'll be heading out now." He didn't bother waiting for a reply. Dom started up the Charger, and took off down the road. Now he didn't know if he was sweating from the summer heat, or that weird dream he'd just had. It seemed like every time he closed his eyes, he saw Tori's face. Although this time was different. He didn't just see Tori, he saw their children - all of their children. Dom didn't want to wake up. He cursed that officer for bringing him out of his slumber as he drove in silence. After a few more miles, he saw himself passing a sign that read "Los Angeles city limits." He was finally home.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Dom finished working on Tori's Plymouth, he was soon itching for something else to occupy his mind. Pretty soon he began drifting from place to place, tracking down races and waking up in random women bed's with a hangover. Every time this happened, it made him feel worse than the night before. When he woke up and saw that the body next to him wasn't Victoria, it made all the memories come rushing back to him.

A few weeks after the memorial, Dom headed down to Mexico to follow up on message Tori left him, but that was a dead end. She had left him no names, no address, nothing to help guide him in his search for information. Even the race scene, which he was sure she frequented, was no help. Everything was so tight knit and hush-hush. They treated him as if he were a cop. So in the end, Dom returned home empty handed. It's been over two years and all of his questions were still unanswered.

Dom pulled up to into his driveway, and gave the place a once over as he got out of his car. It had been five months since he'd been there last, but everything was the same. He gave a quick glance over to Tori's place before heading up the walkway to his backyard. Music was booming, and the smell of barbecue was in the air. As he came into view, he heard a loud, yet happy squeal, and he knew exactly who it was coming from.

"Dom!" Mia came running over to Dom and threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're home!"

He squeezed her tightly, lifting her up off the ground. "I couldn't stay away too long… whose suppose to keep you guys out of trouble?"

"Very funny." She said as she fixed her dress when he put her back on the ground. "So… how long do you plan on staying this time?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Depends"

"On what?" Mia asked with her hands situated on her hips while staring Dom down.

"On whose working the grill, because it smells like something's burning." Dom tilted his head towards the grill which had dark smoke seeping from under the cover.

"Shit… Brian, the food's burning!" She yelled towards the house, and about three seconds later Brian came rushing out the back door.

Brian went over to the grill and lifted the lid. A massive cloud of smoke appeared and he fanned it away from his face. He looked around for something to flip the meat with, and then saw a long fork being handed to him. "Thanks Dom." He said as he took it. About a half of second later he did a double take realizing what he just said. "Holy shit! Dom when did you get back." Brian pulled Dom into a brotherly embrace smiling from ear to ear.

"A few minutes ago." Dom replied while watching the meat sizzle and burn on the grill. "Here… you look like you need some help." He offered reaching for the fork, and Brian happily gave it up.

Brian and Mia stood side by side watching as Dom got back into the swing of things as if he never left. He knew Mia was ecstatic, she'd spent many of nights up worrying about him, and now that he was home her mind could finally be at ease. "What brought you back?" Brian asked.

"It was just time, besides, there's nothing for me out there. I'm just sorry I missed the wedding."

"Yeah well I hope you didn't come back without a gift." said Letty as she came out the back door holding a salad bowl with Vince not far behind her.

Dom smiled looking down at the ring on her finger, it felt good seeing her happy, but he couldn't help the bittersweet feeling in his gut seeing Letty and Vince share something that he wanted, but couldn't have. Still, he was glad to see them together and going strong. "Hello to you too Letty." Dom left the grill to give Letty a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He then turned to his oldest friend and shook his hand before pulling him into a hug. "Congratulations Vince, I'm proud of you."

Vince held tight and gave him a pat on the back. "Thanks Dom, it's good to see you."

"It's good to be seen."

"Good, now that everybody's here. Can we eat now?" Roman blurted out coming out of the house with the rest of the food.

They all sat down in the backyard to eat. No one dug in the food, leaving all of them staring at each other trying to figure out who was saying grace. After five minutes of going back and forth, Dom decided to just get it over with. They all bowed their heads while Dom said grace. Once he finished, everyone proceeded to go for themselves. Dom sat back catching up on the latest chit chat around the table. Jesse and Jade were still dating, while Leon and Roman were still playing the field. It seemed as if they were in some kind of competition to see who could get the most women. Letty and Vince had moved out to a place of their own, and were starting a new life together. They didn't move far away wanting to stay close to the only family they've ever known. As for Brian and Mia, they were still the same loving couple.

Dom sat at the head on the table and looked around at his mixed family. They all seemed at peace, and he wished he could get to that place in his life. In the two years since Tori's death, he still wasn't over it one bit. He had just gotten better at hiding it.

**Later That Night**

Jesse and Jade had headed to a concert, while Leon and Rome went to a party where there would surely be an ample amount of women. They invited Dom to join them on their outing, but he kindly turned them down. He didn't feel like going through the motions of sparing the feelings of women who would without a doubt throw themselves at him. It wasn't that kind of night. So instead he stayed at home to watch a movie with Mia, Brian, Letty and Vince; all the while feeling like a fifth wheel. The explosions on the screen weren't holding his attention at all. His eyes kept straying over to the happy couples, feeling a pang of jealousy with each passing glance. This was the reason he often stayed away and took long trips. It hurt too much to be back home.

They smiled and laughed just like old times, and he hated it. He hated when everyone tried to pretend that things were normal. Like nothing never happened. Dom was getting stir crazy looking around at all of the smiling faces, so he left the house with some excuse about a beer run.

Dom rode around town looking for nothing and something at the same time. He didn't want to be out, but he didn't feel like being home either. As he drove, he came across a makeshift roadblock of cars on the street where he used to drag as a teen. Apparently the local high school kids still kept up the tradition. Since he looked the part of a racer, the two vehicles parted, allowing him to enter. Dom looked around at all of the youthful faces as he slowly pulled in. It reminded him of when he would sneak down here after curfew to make a few quick bucks. The nostalgia of it all put a smile on his face. Dom parked next to a yellow Supra and got out of his car. He leaned against the hood, watching as two kids raced down the street.

"Hey, I know who you are." A voice beside him called out. Dom turned around to see a kid no older than seventeen with tattoo on his forearm approaching. A beanie on his head covered up what looked to be sandy brown curls. "You're Dominic Toretto." The kid said with a huge grin on his face.

"Last time I checked." Dom replied giving the boy a once over.

"Oh man, I can't believe this! I've seen you race like a hundred times, you're a fuckin' legend."

"Thanks kid."

"Jacob… my name's Jacob." He extended his hand, and Dom shook it. "So what are you doing here? Are you racing tonight?" he asked, silently hoping it would be a yes.

"Nah, I'm just watching from the sidelines. I used to tear this strip up when I was younger." Dom replied while watching more cars line up.

"That cool. So is this your ride." Jacob turned his attention to the monster of a vehicle Dom was standing in front of. "A Charger… very nice. What year is this '69?"

"'70… nothing like American muscle." Dom smiled watching Jacob stare at his father's car appreciatively.

"Can I check out what you're running?" Jacob asked.

"I usually don't do this, but what the hell." Dom motioned for the boy to follow him as he led him around to the front of the Charger. He popped the hood and the kid practically drooled. "Pick your chin up kid." He chuckled amusingly.

"Whoa, this is-" Jacob's words were cut short by the sound of police sirens. Their heads popped up from the hood turning around to see a mass of cops moving in.

Dom slammed his hood shut and jumped in the driver seat. Cars were clamoring in every which direction trying to get away. He maneuvered through the traffic without breaking a sweat, but Jacob wasn't as fortunate. The cops were closing in on his bumper fast. Feeling sorry for the kid, Dom decided to intervene. His car made a u-turn speeding up the street to catch up to him. Dom switched gears and mashed his foot on the gas ramming into the back of the cop car. The police cruiser spiraled doing a 360 and crashed into another cop car. Dom speed up beside Jacob, he nodded to the young man and took off down the road. The last thing anyone ever saw was his tail lights.

Time had gone by fast. It was late and he didn't want to wake Mia up, so he headed over to the garage with plans to sleep on the couch. As he entered, he noticed that the light in his office was on. His first thought was that maybe one of the guys left it on. So he made his way over to cut it off so he could get some shut eye. Dom placed his hand on the knob and cracked the door open. Not bothering to look or step all the way in, he stuck his hand inside and flipped the light switch off.

"I was using that." A voice blurted out from the dark.

Acting on his instincts, Dom grabbed a nearby monkey wrench and turned the light back on. He opened the door all the way to get a look at the face that went with this strange voice. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" Dom asked as he looked over the large man with a muscular physique that was slightly bigger than his own.

"Easy there Toretto, you won't be need that for me." He removed his boots from the desk and folded his hands on top of the files he had displayed in front of him. "I've been trying to catch up with you for some time now."

Dom stepped further into the room and sat the wrench down on a file cabinet. "You smell like a cop, is that what you are?"

The stranger rose from the desk and walked over to Dom with his hand extended. "Lieutenant Luke Hobbs DSS, at your service."

Dom ignored the hand in front of him and eyed the man unwavering. "That's a fancy title, but that still doesn't explain what you're doing here." He responded with his arms folded across his chest.

Hobbs got the message and dropped his hand back to his side. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy task. "Well I'm here because I need your help."

A smirk formed across Dom's face feeling a rumble in his chest as he chuckled. "Now why would I go out of my way to help a cop?" he asked incredulously.

Hobbs leaned against the desk and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know… think of it as doing a good deed for all of those crimes you've committed." A grin was now on his face setting the small flicker of shock on Dom's face, but it was quickly replaced with his stone expression. "Come on now Toretto, you and I both know that it was your crew pulling those truck heist some years back."

Dom slowly treaded to the other side of the desk leaving the wooden furniture between them. "I don't know if you know this or not, but we were cleared of those charges." He slowly eased out the desk drawer looking for the gun he kept inside, but little did he know, Hobbs had long rid him of it.

Knowing that the weapon Dom was looking for was now safely tucked away in his boot holster, Hobbs relaxed and folded his arms matching Dom's former stance. "I guess it helps having a dirty cop in your corner." He replied snidely.

Dom simply shrugged his shoulder. "Hey, this is America. You're innocent until proven guilty. Now unless you have some evidence in your pocket that says otherwise, I believe this conversation is over."

Hobbs sighed and grabbed the files on the desk. "Okay, well since redemption isn't a big enough incentive, how about some good old fashion revenge?"

Dom's eyebrows narrowed on the man in front of him, his curiosity was now peaked. "What are getting at?"

Hobbs slid a picture across the desk of a man that Dom loathed. "Carter Verone… name ring any bells?" From the way Dom's eyes burned through the photo, he knew that he had found his man. "Yeah I thought it would. I've been chasing this maniac for a long time. Just when I had him in my grasp, all of my informants suddenly disappeared only to be found dead." Hobbs sat three more photos on the desk. The one that had some meaning to Dom, he placed directly in front of him. "I heard through the grapevine that this woman held some sentimental value to you. Is this true?"

Dom picked up the glossy paper and held it tightly in his grasp. His fingers glided across the face staring back at him. "This my fiancé… was my fiancé." He replied sounding less than enthused.

"What's it been Dom… two years?"

"Two years and four and a half months…but who's counting?"

"Well a few years ago she willing agreed to testify against Carter when he murdered a federal agent and his family, but with witness dropping like flies, we had nothing to hold him on. He was released from prison and immediately started silencing loose ends, your fiancé being one of them."

Dom sat the picture down not being able to look at it any longer. "Why are you here now? In case you haven't heard Verone's dead." The memories that Hobbs were brings up were beginning to upset Dom.

"He should be so lucky. He's actually been holding up in Miami rebuilding his Cartel and making a few friends along the way, and we're talking major players."

"So what do you need me for? You know where he is, why isn't the bastard in handcuffs?" He couldn't understand for the life of him why time was being wasted here if the man responsible for Tori being gone was off sipping mimosas on a beach in Miami.

Hobbs shook his head. "It's not that simple Dom. Carter's not exactly top priority at the agency, he's been keeping up appearances every since he's been released." This is where Dom was to come in. He could to through the red tape that he couldn't.

"This is seems like it's personal for you."

"It's as personal for me as it is for you. That FBI agent he killed was my brother." Hobbs placed his palms on the desk in an attempt to level with this criminal, as he saw Dom, but when it came to Carter, he was the lesser of two evils. "I need your team to infiltrate Carter's organization and get me the evidence I need. He's always looking for fresh drivers, and let's face it; your crew is the best out there…. I'm offering you a chance to get even, not many people get that." Hobbs watched him closely trying to read his reaction, but Dom just stood there in silence staring at the photos and taking everything in. When no response came, Hobbs shook his head and gathered his documents, all except for the picture of Tori. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning; what do you say Dom. If you can get past working with a cop long enough to take down the son of bitch that tore apart your family, you give me a call." Hobbs threw a business card down on the desk and turned to leave.

Dom picked up the card and stared down at the name and number printed on it. "Hey." He called out making the man stop in his tracks and turn to face him. "My enemy's enemy is a friend of mine."

Hobbs nodded and walked out the door. He couldn't believe that he had stooped so low that he was willing to team up with a criminal.


	3. Chapter 3

After Hobbs left, Dom got in his car and drove back to his house. As he drove he called Vince and told him to meet him there. Before Vince could ask what was so important at two in the morning, the line went dead. Dom stood in the center of his living room explaining everything that Hobbs had just told him. Needless to say there were a few confused faces scattered about the room. To everyone's knowledge Carter was dead, and now Dom was standing here telling them otherwise.

"So let me get this straight… a cop came to you asking for you to help bring down Carter." Rome sat on the arm of the couch letting everything Dom just said sink in. "How'd he know the connection?"

Dom looked around at the six perplexed faces that lingered about the room. "I don't know and I know care. All I care about is Carter and making sure he never sees the light of day again."

"What's this cop's name?" Brian asked. Dom reached in his pocket and handed him a card. Brian held it in his hand reading over the name in bold letters. "Hobbs… I've heard of him, he's the real deal. If he's asking for our help, it must be his last resort."

Dom raised an eyebrow taking the card from Brian and stuffing it back in his pocket. "Our? I didn't say anything about bringing you all in. This is between me and Carter; I don't want you guys getting involved." He said and made sure his firm stare meet each and every person in the room.

Letty had heard enough. She stood from the couch slightly upset by Dom's lone ranger routine. "What are you talkin about Dom, we're already involved. Tori was our family too, we loved her the same as you."

"Letty, this isn't like when we were pulling those truck jobs, trucks don't shoot back. I don't want to see any of you get hurt." Dom's brown eyes pleaded. He tried to keep his tone stern, but he was wearing his emotions on his sleeve. It would kill him to lose someone else close to him.

Mia could sense the concern in her brother's voice, but Letty was right. She got up from the couch and walked over to Brian and Letty, taking a stand next to them. "Dom, you can't do this alone, we're a family and families stick together." said Mia. Vince, Rome, Leon, and Jesse stood in agreement with them. They all stared Dom down matching his glare not budging one bit.

"We're going and that's all there is to it." said Letty.

Vince walked over to Dom and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "The women have spoken. So what time do we leave?" he asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

Dom just shook his head from side to side. It was no use fighting them. In a few hours, he and his team would be heading to Miami.

Five cars pulled up onto the restricted tarmac where a private jet awaited them. Dom grabbed his duffle bag from the passenger seat and got of the car. Hobbs made his way down the stairs of the jet and over to Dom. "You're late. For a second there I thought you weren't gonna show." He looked over his shoulder seeing Brian, Mia, Vince, Letty, Rome, Leon and Jesse all leaned against their cars with luggage in hand. "I see you brought your team."

"Everyone's here and we're ready to get down to business." said Dom. Hobbs nodded his head and signaled for them to follow as he walked back towards the plane.

"First we have to make a quick pit stop south of the border." Hobbs called over his shoulder as they walked up the steps.

"I thought you said Carter was in Miami?" Brian asked. When they entered the plane, they were greeted by two other DFS agents who had their face buried in a map. Brian nodded his hello's moving pass the men to take a seat.

"He is, but we just got a line on an old colleague of Victoria's down in Mexico. I figure we better grab her before Carter does." Hobbs replied. He then went to join his men in going over the map that was laid out on a table.

Dom's attention peaked hearing the mention of Mexico. He'd spent months down there trying to track down any information he could. "Mexico? That wouldn't be Puerto Vallarta, would it?"

"Yeah, in Jalisco. How'd you know?" Hobbs asked.

Dom simply shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky guess." He took his seat not giving a second glance to the curious set of eyes on him.

**Jalisco Mexico **

Hobbs and his team maneuvered through weeds and trees of the lush mountain side on full alert. He ordered Dom and the guys to stay behind. When they neared the gates of the secluded beach villa, Hobbs silently signaled for one man to take the right and the other to the left while he took the center. He holstered his weapon and climbed the secured gate at ease. His heavy boots landed with a thump right next to the pool. The placed seemed quiet as if no one was home, but he took his gun out anyway just to be on the safe side.

Hobbs crept across the pool area and over to glass sliding doors. He eased them open, sticking his gun inside before he entered finding himself in a living room. His eyes scanned the perimeter, the television was off and everything was in its place, but then something caught his eye. He walked over to the table situated in front of the sofa, and saw an open magazine and a glass of lemonade. He touched the glass and found that it was still cold which only meant that someone was definitely in the house.

Hobbs hit a button on his walkie-talkie to speak into it. "I think our friend knows she has visitors, keep your eyes-" he heard movement and stopped talking. Hobbs started to make his way towards the sound looking for his target. When suddenly, -POP, POP- two bullets flew past his head missing him by half an inch. Hobbs took cover behind a pillar and returned fire. "I have activity on the south east wing of the house, be alert, shots fired." He shouted into his walkie-talkie. Hearing no more shots, he peeped around the pillar first, before taking off in her direction.

The woman ran as fast as she could trying to get away from the armed intruders. She ran towards the front patio where her motorcycle was waiting for her, but when she got there she saw another man approaching. Thinking on her feet, she quickly back tracked and ran up the stairs to her next escape route. She ran to a balcony and threw her duffle bag over. It landed on the soft grass, and she was right behind it. When she hit the ground, she grabbed her bag and scurried to her feet, but to her surprise, when she turned around she bumped smack into a broad chest. She tried going for her gun, but her wrist was taken under siege as her body was swiftly shifted up against the concrete exterior of the house.

"Let go of me." She insisted as she fought in vein against his hold.

Hobbs came around the side of the house trampling over the flowers in the garden. When he saw that the target had been subdued, he put his gun away and shook his head. "I thought I told you to stay in the car Toretto."

Dom turned to the cop and shrugged his shoulders with a smirk on his face. "Couldn't help myself."

Hearing his name made the woman stop fighting. "Toretto, Dominic Toretto?" She asked. Her eyes settled on him trying to match his face. He released her, confirming her suspicions. She stuck her hand out to properly greet him. "Gisele… is he with you?" she asked looking over his shoulder and to the large man behind him.

Dom looked over at Hobbs, and then back at Gisele. "Unfortunately, yes." He replied and heard a slight snort coming from behind him. "How do you know who I am?"

Gisele relaxed, her fingers were no longer itching to get to her gun. "Victoria talked about you all the time. Where is she anyway?"

"I think we should talk inside."

Once everything settled down, Dom's team and Hobbs guys all regrouped in the living room. Rome raided the fridge as if he was right at home, while Dom filled Gisele in on what happened to Tori. She took the news okay, but she was never one to show her emotions. After she and Dom talked, Hobbs offer her a deal similar to the one he offered Dom, except Gisele wasn't in it just for revenge. She needed Carter of out the picture so she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder.

Gisele stood there with her arms folded while looking at the room full of strangers. Remembering her past conversations with Tori about this select group of people, she knew she could trust them. After all, if they wanted to do her any harm, it would be done by now. "I'm in, but there's one problem. Carter knows who I am. I can't get close to him."

"No, but you know the inner workings of his operation, and we can use all the intel we can get." said Hobbs. He was determined to take Carter down no matter what the cost. His phone began to ring, he answered as he exited the room with his men in tow leaving behind the room full of racers, and their new ally.


	4. Chapter 4

Once Hobbs left, everyone dispersed and began to tour the lavish home. Muffled chatter of oohs and ahhs could be heard throughout the place. Gisele and Dom were the only ones left in the room, but she noticed that he became distant. It was almost as if he wasn't even there. She walked over to where he stood in front of a built in bookcase that had various titles and knickknacks placed on it, to see what was holding his attention. Dom stood there like a statue, with his focus set on the photo before him. He didn't even bother with acknowledging the woman who had crept up beside him.

Gisele glanced at the photo and smiled. She could see why the large man standing next to her was so transfixed. He was looking at a picture of him and Tori when she was five months pregnant with their daughter. "That's also how I knew who you were, there are dozens of photo's of you around here. After, all this is Victoria's place."

"I didn't know that." Dom replied still caught up in his daze. Memories came back as he glanced at the faces in the picture. The very same picture that used to be on his bedside table, but went missing the night Tori left him. A part of him was relieved knowing she had it this whole time.

"I don't think anyone did, she was very secretive like that. She let me hide out here when I found out that Carter was on the loose. I asked her to come with me, but she said she couldn't because she was getting married." Gisele rambled on, but suddenly she noticed a change in Dom's features. His jaw tightened as if she'd said something wrong. Not wanting to press it, she just changed the subject. "I'm just glad she was happy." She said with a shrug of the shoulders.

Leon and Jesse stumbled in from the patio in excitement while exchanging words back and forth. They directed their chipper conversation at Dom lightening the mood. "This place is crazy dawg! I can't believe she kept this from us." Leon blurted out as they headed up the brown Aztec tile stairs. A few moments later… "Holy shit, you should see the upstairs." Leon shouted from over the balcony.

Dom finally took his eyes off the bookcase and looked up at his friend. His overly excited behavior brought a smirk to his face. Dom shook his head and turned his attention back to the petite brunette. "Can I ask you a question?" When she agreed, he turned his body to face her. "How did you guys get mixed up with Carter?" That question had been racking his brain for years.

"One of his guys offered her and her crew a job after he saw her race. It was just little transporting gigs and it was easy money, so we took it. Pretty soon Victoria was heading his crew of drivers making sure all of the runs went smoothly, and it did. But then Victoria started to see things that she didn't like. We all knew Carter was crazy, but we didn't know to what extent. One night he had us pick up a couple of cars and drop them off at this warehouse that he owned. We were instructed to just get in and drive, and did exactly that, we had no idea that there were people locked in the truck. He had us all watch as he killed a family like it was nothing. He said let that be an example to anyone who crosses him. I knew then that I had to get away from him, but for Victoria it wasn't so easy."

This had all caught him off guard. He knew she had gotten herself in trouble, but he didn't think it was that bad. He wondered why she didn't call or come home sooner, but knowing Tori, she had too much pride to admit when she needed help. "You said it wasn't easy for her. Why was that?" he asked.

Gisele didn't quite know how to say this. Judging from the way he asked, and the fact that he didn't know anything about Tori working with Carter, he most likely didn't know about her life with him either. "She and Carter were… involved."

Dom's eyes widened. He was taken aback. "Involved?" He asked hoping she didn't mean what he thinks she meant.

"He wouldn't let her leave; she was constantly under his watch. She knew that her only way out was sending him to jail."

"Where does the money come in?" Dom asked.

Gisele smiled and walked over to the couch allowing herself to sink down in the cushions. "Ah, so you know about that… 6.5 million split three ways. Not a bad severance pay if you ask me."

"Did she love him?" Dom found himself asking out of the blue. He couldn't get pass his newfound information, but once the question was out there, he wished he could take it back, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Gisele looked up at Dom as he searched her face with curious eyes. It had to be hard not knowing. She turned her sights away from the wounded man finding her bracelet more interesting. "She tried, but I don't think she did. I think Carter knew that as well, that's why he was always buying expensive things trying to buy her affection. If you ask me, her heart was somewhere else." Content and relieved with this answer, Dom nodded his head and left it at that.

Hobbs heavy boots stomped back into the room catching their attention. "Alright gang, Carter's making a move. We have less than twelve hours to get a strategy together." His demanding voice boomed through the room. He then turned his sights to Dom. "I hope your team is ready."

**Miami**

The bright lights of an eighteen wheeler illuminated the dark road it was traveling at the wee hours of the night. To the eye, this was a regular tractor trailer carrying goods that weren't out of the ordinary, but that wasn't the case. This was a bullet proof government issued trailer and inside were four armed soldiers whose job was to guard the classified contents inside until it reached its destination.

A little ways behind the eighteen wheeler was a black Mustang and a red Pontiac. They followed the large vehicle keeping their distance, until the red Pontiac jumped out of formation and sped up alongside the trailer until it was able to jump in front of it. Once the Pontiac was ahead of the pack, the driver tapped the brakes slowing down a bit. This in turn caused the trailer to slow down. The driver honked his horn trying to get the little red car to speed up.

"Nice going Rafe." A voice came through on the Pontiac driver's earpiece. "Keep him steady, but keep your distance, we don't want to alert him." If the driver detected anything suspicious he would press the brakes, and if the trailer stopped for more than twenty seconds the silent alarm would alert the authorities. So discretion was their best friend at this moment.

Rafe did his job keeping the trailer at a steady pace. As they all drove under and underpass, a figure dress in black jumped from the bridge easing down a rope, and landed lightly on top of the trailer with little time to spare. The jumper laid low, crawling its way to the very end of the trailer and to a tiny hole that was on top. "Stay close Manny, I'm in and out in three minutes." Tires screech and the trailer's horn honks really loudly. Hearing the horn, the jumper dropped three small beads into the hole and glanced at the stop watch in hand, "Thirty seconds." The jumper watched the clock tick with an ear to the top. Thirty second later the sound of bodies dropping echoed from inside. Using portable saw, the jumper cut a hole in the roof of the trailer and dropped down. In addition to the guards, there were three motorcycles and a bright red Ferrari 340. "Nice wheels." After seeing that the guards were all passed out, the jumper went to the back door and opened it for its awaiting accomplice.

Using bolt cutters, the two of them cut through several locked boxes. Each of them containing money, bonds, and jewelry, but that wasn't what they were there for. There were only three boxes left when Manny's frantic voice came through their earpiece. "Shit, we got cops on us!"

Alerted by this news, the jumper's accomplice looked at the police scanner hooked on his hip. He shook his head not hearing any activity. The jumper went to over the back door trying to see what if there was some truth to what Manny was saying. Using a pair of binoculars, several fast cars were spotted approaching in the distance. "They're not cops, it's an ambush, we have to move fast."

Dom and the team drove at top speed trying to catch up to the tractor trailer. Vince and Letty was to his right, with Rome and Leon to the left, Brian trailed closely behind Dom. As they got closer to their target, the black Mustang that was behind the trailer took off like a bat out of hell.

Dom saw this and grabbed his walkie-talkie, "Roman, Leon-"

"Already on it." Rome replied. He kicked his gears into over drive taking off after the fleeting vehicle with Leon behind him.

Meanwhile the two occupants inside the trailer popped open the last box. "Got it." They rushed to the back of the trailer, but their ride is gone. "Shit! They fuckin' bailed on us."

"Rafe? Manny?" Nothing but static came through on the other end. "Fuck!"

"What are we supposed to do now?" The accomplice asked. With no getaway drivers, their backs were currently against the wall.

"Stay on them Toretto, they don't have anywhere else to go." Hobbs called in from his humvee. He sat there monitoring them on screen through the trackers he placed in each of their cars. He wanted to keep his eyes of them, but he couldn't risk being spotted.

As soon as Hobbs said this, a motorcycle burst through the back doors clearing way for the red Ferrari behind it. The motorcycle made a turn going in the same direction as traffic while the sports car went against it.

Dom watched the driver weave through traffic with expert skill, "Vince, Letty, you follow that bike, Brian and I will take the car." Dom and Brian made a u turn and sped down the road forcing other cars to move out of their way.

"Got it." said Vince. He took off, with his wife in another car beside him. "Letty be-"

"I know, I know… be careful." Letty replied cutting him off before he could get into a speech. She winked at her husband and he returned a smile. They both chased after the black and silver Ducati.

They were soon in closing in on their guy and were able to box him in. Vince was to his right, Letty was to his left, and there was a line of traffic in front of him. "Give it a rest dude, you have nowhere else to go." Letty mocked the caged man beside her. The driver of the motorcycle smirked and shook his head. He revved his bike and took off driving up the cars in front of him and then up a dirt road where they couldn't go. Letty watched in disbelief. "Sonofa bitch." She shouted.

Vince banged his fist on his steering wheel and reached for his walkie-talkie. "We just lost our guy. How are you guys holding up?"

"I'll let you know when it's over." Dom continued to chase the Ferrari that was determined not to get caught.

He was gaining on it, surely making his way beside it while Brian rammed it in the back. "Sorry car." Brian said as he hit the back of it once more. It pained Brian to damage this classic vehicle, but he had to slow it down by any means necessary.

The driver of the Ferrari jerked forward once, twice then again, until it got tired and pulled out a gun. The driver shot out Brian's front tire making him spin out. Dom checked behind him making sure Brian wasn't hurt and kept his pursuit. When the driver stuck the gun out the window again, Dom rammed it hard on the side making it lose control and drop the gun on the ground. In an angry fit, the driver rammed him back. The two cars were locked side by side. Dom looked over to see who this person was. When he saw the person behind the wheel, he did a double take. They locked eyes and he was stuck, "Tori." he said in a daze. It was as if everything around him slowed down for a moment. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tori rammed him as hard as she could; knocking him into coming traffic.

Dom's vehicle took another hit from a suv causing him to fish tail and spin in circles, but he quick gained control swerving right and left dodging cars every which way until he was able to come to a full stop. Dom's car was sitting on the side of the road dented with smoke coming out of the hood. He got out all the while other passing car honked him and shouted obscenities. Dom paid him no mind, his attention was focused on the red Ferrari that was slowly disappearing before his eyes.

Brain's car slowly made its way down the road, wobbling on three wheels. He pulled in front of Dom and out not bothering to turn off the engine. "Well that fun" Brian chuckled trying to add some humor to the situation, but Dom's head was somewhere else. Brian tilted his head to the side, getting a look at the absent expression etched on his friends face. "You okay Dom? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I think I did." His deep voice rumbled catching Brian's ears by surprise. Suddenly Dom's vacant eyes came back to life. "Tori's alive Brian."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The team had regrouped in an old abandoned warehouse that Hobbs was using as a base. He had pulled out all the stops. Top of the line computers – which Jesse had a field day with, weapons, and vehicles were supplied and at their disposal. They'd never seen anything like this, it was something straight out of a spy movie. Dom's team gathered around listening to him recount the day's events for the third time in an attempt to convince them of what he saw.

"Maybe it was someone who just looked like her." said Brian. He didn't get a good look at the driver of the Ferrari, he was too busy being shot at, so he couldn't say for sure if it was Tori. They all knew the truth which made it painful to listen to Dom try to persuade himself otherwise.

Dom slammed his fist against the wall in a rage causing everyone to stop talking amongst themselves and look at him. "It wasn't someone who looked like her, it wasn't a hallucination or anything else you want to throw out there. It was Tori, I looked her dead in the eyes."

"Prints came back on that gun we picked up." One of Hobbs men called out getting their attention.  
Dom dropped his conversation and walked over to the man sitting behind the makeshift desk with his team trailing behind him. "What do you have?" He asked in an anxious tone and leaned over to glance at the screen.  
The DSS agent punched in a few keys and low and behold, Tori's photo and file came up. He leaned back in his chair, allowing everyone to get a look. "Well there you have it. It matches one Victoria Peralta." Dom looked at them all with his 'I told you so face,' but he didn't care about being right, he was just on cloud nine to find out that his suspicions were right.  
"But… how is that possible?" Vince was at a loss for words staring at the familiar face. This couldn't be the same person.

"So wait, you're telling me that it was Tori who tried to ram you off the road today?" Mia asked. If this was indeed Tori then that meant that she was the same woman who shot at Brian and tried to turn Dom into road kill.

After taking in this newfound information, light bulbs started going off in Hobbs head. "You know Toretto; this could work out in our favor. You think you can make nice with your girlfriend?"

"It's clear that she's running for Carter again, although I don't know why, but if you can get close to her, it'll put us closer to Carter." Gisele chimed in from across the room where she was busy cleaning her gun. All eyes were on her.

Letty looked back and forth between Hobbs and Gisele put off at how simple they were making it sound. "Okay and how the hell is he supposed to do that? She just tried to kill him." After what happened today, she wasn't quite sure if this was the same woman they all knew. "Besides, we don't even know where to find her." said Letty.

"If it's one thing I know about Victoria, it's that she can't keep away from cars. If there's a race scene down here, she's sure to be involved." Dom spoke with such certainty in his voice.

Roman balled up his now empty bag of potato chips and shot it in a nearby waste basket and wiped the crumbs on his jeans. "So we find out where they do their racing in Miami, and we find her."

"Already on it, my boy Tej runs a garage down here, he should be able to get us in a race. Keeps his ear to the ground, knows everything about everyone in the street racing world. If she's racing, I guarantee they've crossed paths before." Brian spoke while scrolling through his phone contacts looking for his old friend's number.

Dom nodded in his direction, "Good, set it up." He replied. Brian walked from the group with his phone attached to his ear. Dom also walked away from the others, and gestured for Hobbs to follow with a head nod. The two men went over to the other side of the room, once they were out of earshot Dom spoke. "Something isn't adding up for me. Why would they break into this highly secured truck that had over a hundred million dollars in bonds and jewelry and take nothing?"

"They may not have taken any money, but they did take something. I just don't know what it was yet. I don't know what the hell is goin' on but I know one thing. This girl's got a shit load of explaining to do." said Hobbs.

"Never thought I'd see the day I would agree with a cop." Dom replied as he watched one of Hobbs men Tori's photo alongside Carter's.

~~~~~

Tori's black XTM-Roadster speed up a winding road, stopping once it reached the gates of the mansion it shielded. She stuck her arm out the window, punched in the security code, and the golden gates parted as she drove through and up to the main entrance of the lavish Miami home. Tori put the car in park and grimaced as she got out slamming the door behind her. Today had not gone the way she planned it. Between the botched job by her sketchy crew and the surprise ambush, she was lucky that she got away at all, and now she had to go and explain everything to Carter. Tori walked through the oversized front door, and her boots treaded across the marble floors headed for the staircase. She walked down the hall and stopped when she reached a door in the middle of the hall. Tori placed her hand on the doorknob and eased the door open as she quietly crept inside. The room was dark, the only light was coming from a Scooby Doo night light. Navigating through the dark and stepping over toys, she made her way over to the mahogany colored crib and peered inside.

Tori smiled looking at the sleeping figure, and brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. "Sweet dreams my angel." She wiped his curls out the way and placed a kiss on his forehead with her hand. Standing tall, Tori looked down on her son once more with so many thoughts running through her mind, and exited the room headed for the master bedroom.

The bedroom door closed and moments later the balcony doors opened. Carter stood there with his back to the person behind him as he continued puffing on his cigar. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know who was standing there. "So, how'd it go?" he asked letting the ash from the stogie fall to the ground below him.

"Well we found what you were looking for, but we ran into a little trouble." Tori spoke with a slight attitude in her tone. When Carter finally turned around to grace her with his eye contact, she tossed him a flash drive and tried to walk away, but she was stopped by his hand grabbing her by the elbow.

He held her there with an intense questionable look on his face wanting to know the exact details. "What kind of trouble?"

Tori sighed, this was typical Carter. No 'are you alright, or I'm glad you're okay,' it made her wonder if he even cared. "Someone moved in on us." She saw the panic on his face and knew exactly what his thoughts were. Tori shook her head walking back inside knowing that he would follow behind her. "Don't worry, I don't think they were cops, but whoever they were, they were good. Han and I barely escaped, no thanks to those two fuck ups you hired." She said as she tossed her jacket on the chaise and made her way to the bathroom. It was late and all she wanted to do was shower and go to bed.

Carter leaned against the doorframe watching as she pulled her tank top off and stepped out of her cargo pants. "You got the job done, that's all that matters." He replied causing her to cut her eyes at him. She turned on the shower and stepped inside, but he continued his conversation having to speak up over the streaming water. "Cheer up; I'll let you pick your own team for the next job."

The warm water rushed over her body relaxing her muscles. She laid her palms on the tan mosaic tiles and let the jet streams beam down on her head letting out an exasperated sigh. "Carter, we talked about this. I'm tired of constantly putting my life on the line, and for what? I could have died today. Do you ever think about that?" There was a silence. It was quiet while she waited for an answer. She shook her head brandishing a sarcastic smirk, _'figures.'_ Thinking Carter had left; Tori brushed it off and continued to wash. Feeling something graze her shoulder, she jumped but before she could turn around, she felt strong hands grab her.

Carter wrapped his arms around Tori's waist pulling her into him. "Pick a place." He whispered in her ear.

Tori tilted her head to the side looking at him through the thick water drops. "What? What are you talking about Carter?" she asked confused by his antics.

He let his hand gently stroke her neck and slide down to caress her soapy breast smiling when she trembled beneath him. "Pick anyplace in the world and we'll go. I'll take you away from all of this." He promised in a serious tone.

Tori spun around in his arms to face him with a smile of her own, a part of her hoped he was serious and not just saying what she wanted to hear. "Okay, how about Tahiti?" she replied while still trying to determine his sincerity.

"Tahiti it is." Carter responded with giving it a second thought, but he could tell that she was still uncertain of it all. He stared at the wet strands of hair that clung to her face and neck and gently brushed them away. "You know I'd do anything for you." said Carter. He leaned in and kissed her lips as he moved their bodies away from the streaming water and pressed her back against the shower wall. Tori gave into the feeling hoping she wasn't setting herself up for another let down.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Tori laid in bed, she couldn't stop tossing and turning. Soft moans escaped her lips as a strange, yet pleasing visions pledge her mind. Hands caressed her body in ways she'd never imagined and lips grazed her flesh causing her to moan louder in excitement. It was truly a feeling of pleasure, but it was pure agony because she didn't know the person who was bringing her to such heights, but their touch was so familiar. Giving in to the fact that sleep would disregard her for yet another night, she forced herself to wake up and sat up in her king sized bed. Looking over to her right, she saw that Carter was still in his peaceful slumber. _'Lucky him,'_ she thought before pushing back the comforter and throwing her legs over the side of the bed. Tori reached for the pill bottle sitting on nightstand and twisted the cap off. She shook a small capsule in her hand and swallowed it down using the glass of water that she kept near her for nights like this. Tori ran her hand down her face and grabbed her journal that she kept hidden from Carter from in between the mattress.

Keeping her nightly routine, she jotted down what she saw in her sleep. Tonight wasn't like the others that consisted of places she didn't remember and fuzzy faces she could never make out. Tonight, for some reason, she dreamt about the man who interrupted her heist. She kept seeing intimate flashes of the two of them in so many instances that it made her head spin, but at the same time it excited her. Tori looked over at Carter and felt guilty for having not so innocent thoughts about another man. She got up from the bed and went over to the bathroom and threw some water on her face. Brushing it off as a normal wet dream, she went back to bed.

~~~~~

The next day, Brian took Dom, Roman, and Vince to an auto body garage where they were to meet his contact. The four men pulled onto the lot getting a good look at the array of neon colored cars. Being the muscle man he is, Dom simply glanced at the imports and kept on walking. The place was empty as they walked through, but faint voices and loud music could be heard.

"Yo Tej, anybody home!" Brian called out while looking around the vacant shop. He knew someone was there since the doors were unlocked.

"Back here Brian!" A voice yelled from the distance. Brian tapped Dom's shoulder and motioned for the guys to follow him to the back.

The four of them went through the back doors of the shop where Brian was greeted by three different grins sitting around a small table with beers. Tej stood as Brian went over to him and gave him a handshake pulling the man into a friendly hug. "Does anyone work around here?"

Tej laughed releasing his friend from the embrace. "Hello to you too Brian, I'm doing fine thank you." Tej and Brian continued their playful banter while Dom, Vince, and Roman watched the whole display.

"So you gonna pretend you don't see me over here Bullet?" A Japanese woman with dirty blonde hair wearing a pink bikini stood from the table and proceeded to walk over to Brian with her hands on her hips.

"Hey Suki… you still with this guy?" Brian teased while giving her a hug. When he let her go he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck receiving odd looks from the guys after hearing his nickname, he knew he was going to be questioned about that one later.

Suki turned to Tej eyeing him with a devilish smirk. "Sadly, yes." She spoke causing a chuckle from the man standing next to her.

The man in question let out a sarcastic laugh before giving them both a blank stare that said he wasn't amused. "Enough with the comedy act, let's get down to business. I know you called me for a reason."

"Tej Parker, these are my friends Vince, Roman Pearce, and Dominic Toretto." Brian introduced each man one by one, and they each shook hands and nodded their head respectively. Once everyone was familiar with the basics, Brian went on with what he had to say. "We need to ask you a few questions about a local racer."

Sipping his beer as he followed along, Tej nodded his head for him to continue. "Sounds simple… so far." From the urgency in Brian's voice on the phone, he thought it was a life or death situation.

Reaching in his pocket, Dom pulled out a wallet sized photo of Tori and passed it to Brian, who in turn passed it to Tej. "We're looking for this woman, her name is-"

"I know her, that's Victoria Verone," After giving the photo a once over, he passed it back to Brian and eyed the men standing next to him suspiciously. "She happens to be a friend of mine, so I'm sure you'll understand why I'm about to ask why you're looking for her."

"It's a long story, but trust me, we mean her no harm." Brian replied.

While they talked, no one noticed that Dom's face had become absent. He rubbed his forehead that had creased with lines of confusion. "Wait a minute, you said Verone?" Dom asked.

"Yeah, her husband is a guy named Carter Verone. He pretty much runs everything in Miami, the guy is involved in everything, you name it, drugs, weapons, money laundering; he is not a man that you want to cross." Tej warned.

Dom was the perfect picture of a seething man. Hearing this newfound information made his blood boil. It was bad enough to find out that she was alive this whole time, but to find out that she had gotten married, to Carter none the less made his fingers absently clinched into a fist, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around Carter's throat. "Where can we find her?" he asked with burning eyes.

"There's a race tomorrow night, she'll be there if she can sneak away." said Tej. He picked up on the curious glances he received when he said this and went on to elaborate. "Story has it that she crashed her car in a race awhile back. It was so bad that it messed up her memory; the girl can't remember anything about her past, so Carter doesn't allow her to hang around the scene."

"That would explain why she attacked us." Rome spoke earning questioning glances from Tej and Suki.

"Can you get us into the race?" Brian asked.

"Is your money green?" Tej replied with a knowing smirk.

As the four of them exited the garage Vince glanced over at Brian as they made their way to their cars. "So… Bullet?" Vince questioned with a teasing grin causing him and Rome to burst in laughter. Brian looked over at Dom who was just shaking his head.

~~~~~

Tori awoke to the sound of her bedroom door opening, she knew that Carter was already up and at em being the early riser that he was, and the maids never disturbed her while she was sleeping, so it could only be one other person. From the pitter patter sounds of little feet her assumption was right. Still lying on her side, Tori hid her smile and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. After hearing some stumbled steps, she soon felt a small hand lightly smacking her cheek. "Mommy, uppies." A small toddler with light brown curly hair that was practically bigger than his face stood at the side of the bed in his blue one piece pajamas poking and shaking Tori trying to wake her. "Up mommy." The toddler whined, until finally dropping his arms and crossing them across his chest with a pout. Tori cracked her eye open getting a look at him; it took everything in her to stay in character and not smile.

His little hands gripped the fluffy white comforter to pull himself up on the bed. His pajama covered feet climbed and kicked until they were able to reach the bed frame and he pushed himself up. When Tori felt the covers move from her body, she knew he was climbing on the bed, that was the only way he knew how to get up on it. Her son crawled closer to her so that they were now face to face, and raised her eyelids in another attempt to wake her. Feeling his sticky hands poke and prod, she couldn't take anymore without bursting with laughter. Tori waited for his face to get really close to hers again. His head tilted from side to side examining his sleeping mother, when suddenly, her eyes popped open. "Boo!" Tori shouted in surprised scaring the child causing him to fall back on the bed. She sat up while laughing and scooped him up in her arms. "Did mommy scare you, I'm sorry…" Tori kissed and made farting sounds into his neck making him laugh and wiggle in her grasp. The sheer joy she got from seeing her child smile made her stop to appreciate it. She stared at his happy face silently picking apart his features. Tori must have looked into his eyes millions of time, but she could never place them. Cameron looked nothing like her or Carter which was something that she always found strange, the only feature of hers that he had was her ears and eyebrows, but none of that mattered to Tori. The only thing she cared about was his happiness. After all, he was the only real family she had, or at least the only family she remembered.

"Morning mommy." Cameron's voice cut in snatching her from her thought process. He just sat on Tori's lap watching her watch him.

Tori placed both hands on her cheeks and her mouth formed an o in a mock surprise. "Is it morning already?" she asked. Cameron giggled seeing her act silly and nodded his head up and down. She looked over at the balcony doors and saw the vivid sun shining and turned back to the small child on her lap. "I think you're right. So what would you like for breakfast?" she asked.

After a moment or two of fiddling with his fingers, Cameron's face lit up brilliantly. "Pasketti!" He threw his arms up in excitement as he yelled.

Tori smiled shaking her head from side to side. "I don't think Spaghetti would make a good breakfast. How about some pancakes, how does that sound?" she asked.

"Yummy." He bounced up and down

"Alright, then pancakes it is." Tori stood from the bed with Cameron still in her arms and headed downstairs.

When Tori reached the bottom of the steps she walked through the corridors with her son attached to her hip and came to a sudden stop when she saw Carter sitting outside on the patio. Tori walked over to the open French doors and leaned against them watching as Carter talked on his phone in a hushed tone. Carter looked up and saw Tori standing there, and motioned for her to come over as he ended his conversation. Taking the invite, Tori walked over to the table where he was seated with his breakfast in front of him. Cameron's high chair was already outside waiting for him so she sat him there and strapped him in and he banged down on his tray. Once she had him situated Carter grabbed Tori by the belt of her robe, pulling her down onto his lap.

Carter wrapped his arms around her waist and looked over at their son who was still drumming on his highchair. "He's getting big; it's time for a haircut." said Carter looking at the curly bush on Cameron's head.

"I like his hair." She let her fingers twirl around his curly strands. "I can hardly believe he's going to be two next month, he'll need a big boy bed soon if he keeps climbing out of his crib." said Tori. The maid Rose came out shortly with their breakfast. Once Cameron had his pancakes all cut up into tiny pieces and his sippy cup of milk, he was good to go. Tori smiled watching him get syrup everywhere while attempting to feed himself. Cameron got more food on his face then in his mouth, but he was making progress.

Carter's phone buzzed and he glanced down at it briefly before turning his focus back to Tori getting ready to interrupt their peaceful family breakfast. "I have a shipment coming in and I want you to handle it. I wouldn't ask, but I don't trust anyone else with a load this big."

"Wow, so everything you said to me last night about us getting away from all of this bullsh-" Tori glanced over at Cameron catching herself from using profanities in front of him. She looked back at Carter, willing herself to lower her voice. "All of those promises you made were just sweet nothings to butter me up to get me to do another job."

"You're pay will be tripled." Carter attempted to place a kiss on her shoulder, but pulled away.

"I don't care about the money Carter! I'm sick of all of this, you included." Tori angrily bit out. She dropped her fork and went to stand, but was surprised when she felt Carters hand on her elbow pulling her back down to his lap.

"Listen to me and listen good, you're doing this job and I don't want to hear anything else about it. You're going to go to that race tonight… you know, the one that you like sneaking off to, and you're going to find new, quality drivers to make this run with you. Is that understood?" he asked rhetorically, knowing she wouldn't respond. "Good." Carter loosened his grip. Tori snatched away and stood from his lap cutting her eyes at him once more before storming off. "Don't go too far, your food will get cold." Carter called out getting himself a bit further under her skin. A smile graced his face when he heard a door slam and he looked over to the confused tot sitting beside him. "I guess it's just me and you little guy."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Later that Night**

Vince sat on the hood of his newly customized Shelby GT - compliments of the United States government, and scoped the scene. Just as everyone else, he was on look out for any signs of Tori. While everyone else was busy blending in, and mingling with the other racers, Vince just stared blankly at the crowd in front of him letting his mind wander to a place he wished it didn't. Although he wanted nothing more than to find Tori and bring her home safely, he wished Letty hadn't tagged along with them, but being the stubborn woman she is, there was no deterring her mind once it was made up. In the back of his mind he knew that Letty was far from a damsel and could handle herself in situations where most men would shriek in fear, but that didn't stop his protective nature towards her from wanting to keep her locked away somewhere safe and sound.

"Hey, earth to Vincent." Letty's voice broke his thoughts as she stood in front him bringing life back into his eyes as he looked at her with a familiar affectionate gleam. She extended a frosted beer out to Vince waiting for him to take it, which he did appreciatively. Letty eyed her husband as he twisted the top off with his shirt and took a long gulp. "So where did you go just now?" she asked referring to his momentary black out. She had been standing in front of him for a good ten seconds before he even acknowledged her.

Lowering his beer slowly, he took in the tough as nails woman, but saw only his loving and loyal wife that he wanted to shield from the world. Vince reached out to grasp the bottom of Letty's white tank tugging her closer to him. Letty willingly leaned into his touch, turning around to sit between his legs on the car's hood. "I've been thinking Letty… maybe you should-"

Knowing exactly where he was going with this Letty's head sharply turned around to face him. "Vince I'm not leaving, so you can get that out of your head right now because we're in this together." said Letty.

"We are in this together, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you throw yourself in front of danger just to prove that you can hang with the boys. You can be just as useful staying behind to help out Jesse and Mia."

"And do what, monitor computer screens all day while you go out and chase the bad guys. That's not me Vince; you knew that going into this. If you think for one minute that you can control me because we're married then-"

Vince pressed his lips against the slightly angered woman's, cutting her off with a deep kiss feeling the tension melt away. When he pulled away he cupped her face staring into her now relaxed eyes. "I love you Letty, I just don't want to see you hurt, I couldn't stand it."

Letty's features softened looking back at the man who would do anything for her and stroked his scruffy cheek. "I love you too… but I'm not leaving your side, so think of me as your bodyguard." She said with a smile.

"You're one damn stubborn woman." Vince grinned knowing he could never win a battle when it came to her.

"And you love me anyway." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and stood from between his legs. "I need to get something out of my car, I'll be right back." Letty maneuvered through the small crowd that formed in between hers and Vince's car and over to her GT which matched his in everything except color. Where his was metallic grey, hers was a shiny dark blue. She opened the driver side door retrieving her brown jacket from the seat. It was beginning to get a bit nippy out and her sleeveless top wasn't doing anything to shield her from the cold. While putting on her jacket, her attention was briefly caught by two of Carter's men. She was certain it was them; after all she'd been staring at their mug shots for the past four days. Letty closed her door and rush back over to Vince to tell him of her findings, but as she got closer she came to a sudden halt. Vince was standing next to his car, but the problem was he wasn't alone. A curvaceous redhead wearing a white mini skirt and yellow bikini top was at his side with her hand sprawled on his chest as she laughed at whatever he was saying as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. After dealing with Dom's cheating for years, she wasn't about to tolerate it with Vince. She went straight into Letty mode marching over to her husband and the offending woman. Letty tapped him on his shoulder, he turned around with a smile on his face that quickly disappeared when he saw his none too pleased wife standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Letty, this is-"

She put her hand up stopping him in his tracks. "I'm not interested," taking her focus off of Vince; she stepped in front of him turning her sights to the woman, "and neither is he, so step off." her arms folded across her chest staring the redhead down.

The scantily clad female flashed a smile that grated Letty's last nerves at that moment. "It's a free country, besides I was just interested in his car." She said as she slid her manicure nail across the hood of Vince's Mustang.

Letty rolled her eyes, "more like the backseat." She scoffed. Seeing that the woman didn't get the hint she stepped forward causing Vince to go on alert, he didn't want to chance Letty getting into a fight especially when they were supposed to be on lookout duty. "I really don't have time for this, so why don't you walk away while you still can." said Letty.

The woman stepped closer, attempting to call Letty's bluff. "Are you threatening me?" she asked.

"It sounds more like a promise to me." A familiar voice cut in from the background. Letty and Vince turned around and their faces froze as if they've seen a ghost. "If I were you Rachel, I'd go find someone else's man to flirt with, because it doesn't look like you're gonna win with this one."

Rachel turned to see Tori standing there and her tough façade slowly faded away dropping her hands to her side. "This is none of your business."

"No, but I could make it my business, but I'm pretty sure you don't want that." Tori warned in an all too calm voice that could give a person chills in a heat wave. Rachel weighed her options looking back and forth between Letty and Tori, and walked away. Tori shook her head from side to side watching the fleeting woman. "It's like their IQ's shrink with their skirts." She turned her attention to the new comers while taking Rachel's former position. "It's good to see another female racer around here. I'm Victoria, nice to meet you." Her hand extended to properly greet the woman.

Letty looked at the hand cautiously before shaking it. Even though it had been confirmed that Tori was indeed alive, she was still caught off guard by her presence. "Letty… hey how did you know that I'm a racer?" she asked remembering that Tori had no memory of her past.

"You're either one of them." Tori pointed over at Rachel who had found another man to schmooze with. "Or you're one of us… and you definitely don't look like one of them." She and Letty laughed, and for a moment, it felt like old times. "So Letty, is this your ride?"

"No, it's my husband's." Letty replied gesturing to Vince who was still dumb struck.

Tori turned to Vince who just stared at her in return. It was a bit unnerving for her, and Letty could tell so she cleared her throat and elbowed Vince bringing him out of his daze. He quickly snapped out of it and awkwardly stuck his hand out to introduce himself to the woman who's been like a sister to him for as long as he could remember. "I'm Vince." He spoke with wide eyes and he shook her hand. It took everything in him not to pull her into a bear hug.

"You know, you two are the first married couple I've seen at these races, but I guess it works out for you, at least you can keep an eye on him this way." She joked.

"You got that right." said Letty. She then turned to Vince giving him a look that said we're gonna talk later as she let her mind wander back to the groupie encounter.

Vince threw his hands up in defense knowing that he was going to be in some trouble later. "Hey, I was just being nice making conversation with her."

Tori was busy laughing at the bickering couple, when she noticed Tej approaching from a few feet away. There were other guys with him, as he closed in on her. _'A lot of strange faces tonight.'_ Tori thought to herself as she eyed each of them. There was a blond guy with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, a bald guy with dark brown skin and a seemingly nice build who she dubbed a pretty boy, and lastly, a lean guy wearing a beanie on his head with tattoos on his arms. From their laid back look, she came to the conclusion that they weren't from around here.

Tej came over and wrapped his arms around Tori, embracing her in a hug. When they broke apart, he looked over at the two people standing next to her. "Well, I see you've met our newest addition." He said gesturing over to Vince and Letty. Tori nodded and set her sights on the men with him. "Oh, this is Brian, Roman, and Leon; you've already met Vince and Letty. Guys, this is Victoria." He introduced. "They wanted to check out the scene while they're in town, so I decided to show them our little playground."

Each of the men took turns shaking her hand and nodding their hello's. She smiled cautiously, all the while still sizing them up. "Nice to meet you, how long are you in town for?" she inquired.

"I guess that depends on what Miami brings us." Brian spoke flashing a toothy grin with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"So what's it gonna be Victoria, you getting in on the action tonight?" Tej asked eagerly. He always made money off of her whenever she raced, because there was always some fool who saw her as an easy target.

"I can't, I have eyes on me tonight." said Tori gaining confused looks from everyone except for Tej. He knew exactly what she meant, so he left it alone. "Besides, there's no competition. I've already beaten everyone here." A cocky smirk formed on her face as she twirled her keys on her finger.

"Not everyone." A deep voice cut in causing Tori to turn around to see who it came from.

With slanted eyes and raised brows, she appraised the muscular man in disbelief. _'This couldn't be possible,' _she thought to herself, it was too much of a coincidence. The first time she saw him was on the highway, then he appeared in her dreams, and now he was standing right before her in the flesh. Her eyes went over his tan boots, dark denim jeans and white t-shirt that exposed the tanned arms that were wrapped around her in her slumber. Tori blinked trying to shake the thoughts that weren't suitable for a married woman. "Do I know you?" She asked still trapped in a daze.

Time stood still for a moment as Dom watched her watch him. After so many unfulfilled nights, where he could only dream about her, she was finally standing right in front of him. Tori, his Tori. In the two years they've been apart he'd noticed subtle changes in her. For one, she had gained a few extra pounds, nothing extreme but enough for him to notice. His eyes went over her jeans that clung to her hips, and the black corset top that made her succulent breasts which was a size or two larger sit up at attention and made him wonder if she had work done. Her hair was now a sandy brown, Mia would get a laugh out of that, she'd been trying to get Tori to die her hair for the longest. It was longer and curly reminding him of her younger years, it added a youth to her face, but her eyes told it all. When he looked at her, he barely saw any life behind them. "The name's Dominic and I'm hurt, you don't recognize me. Where's that Ferrari of yours?" he asked still keeping his gaze on her.

"You're that guy from the other night." She played it off as if she didn't already know this. From the way everyone was so relaxed by this guy, she could tell that they knew each other. After putting two and two together, she realized that this was the crew that crashed her heist. "How's your car?" Tori folded her arms returning his gaze unwilling to back down from its intensity.

"Its fine, I think my ego took a worse hit." said Dom. Everyone else just watched them as if they were waiting for something magical to happen.

Shrugging her shoulders, Tori simply brushed off his comment. "You fucked up my job, I fucked up your car, I think we're even now."

"Not by a long shot." He replied.

"What were you doing there anyway?" asked Tori. That was something that racked her brain all night. Miami wasn't exactly an open market for any Tom, Dick, and Harry. Either you were working for Carter, or you were working against him, this was something that they were going to find that out soon enough.

"I'll tell you on one condition."

"What's that?" she pondered deciding to play his little game to see where it'll lead her.

"You have to race me." When he said this, all eyes were directed towards her awaiting a response.

Tori let the thought play in her mind for a bit. It had been awhile since she'd race, so the offer was very tempting, especially since it was coming from him. She'd seen Dom's driving abilities and decided that he was indeed a worthy opponent. He had no trouble keeping up with her on the road, and if she hadn't crashed his car, he probably would have caught her. Tori was so close to saying yes when Carter flashed into in thoughts. His speech about no racing, and only being there to observe rang fresh in her head. Not wanting to deal with his ranting, she opted against it. "I can't, not tonight."

"What's the problem? Wait; don't tell me you're afraid of a little competition." Dom knew exactly what to say to manipulate her mind and get under her skin, and judging from the crinkle that formed on her forehead, it worked.

"Afraid? I've never lost a race on these streets. I could beat you with even breaking a sweat." She responded defensively.

"So again, what's the problem?" he asked.

"If you must know, I promised my husband that I wouldn't race." Tori noticed that his attention shifted to her left hand, and suddenly his eyes went dead and he looked back up at her with a cold stare that confused her.

The way she so carelessly and freely referred to Carter as her husband made Dom cringed on the inside. He wanted to lose it, but there was too much at stake so he quickly regrouped. Dom stepped closer to Tori, so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his chest. "What your husband doesn't know won't hurt him, but I understand if you're scared of losing you title in front of everyone." He spoke in his rough, yet velvety low voice; flashing a grin when she inadvertently bit her bottom lip and let it slip between her teeth. At that moment, there was nothing Dom wanted more than to kiss those lips.

This close proximity and his well sculpted form did nothing to rid Tori of those r rated that she was already having about Dom. His voice sent tingles up her spine and those eyes that stared back at her just held her attention; it was something about them that was so familiar to her. She wanted to play it cool and keep up her tough exterior, but for some reason, this man was turning her into mush and considering the self-assured grin on his face, he knew it too. This guy was coming into her territory and challenging her publicly and all she could do was make googly eyes at him. Tori had to get herself together, she was never one to back down from a challenge. "Tej… set it up." She called out and he was all too eager to oblige, and then she turned her head back to Dom who was still invading her personal space. "You don't know what you just got yourself into." said Tori and she brushed past him, she couldn't wait to wipe that smile off his face.


	8. Chapter 8

A red 1968 Firebird with a black stripe down the center, and a black 1970 Charger pulled up to the finish line. The ground beneath them was vibrating due to everyone's elaborate stereo systems in their trunks. Tori looked over at Dom, and he flashed a smile. She shook her head and turned back to the road hoping he didn't catch her blushing. Tej walked out in front of the two cars signaling for the crowd to quiet down, it was about to be the moment of truth. Making sure that everything was a go, Tori and Dom checked their systems and nos tanks. When she went to adjust her side mirror, she noticed two figures angrily approaching her in the distance. _'Shit!' _she cursed to herself. The last thing she needed was Carter's guys busting up this race, she had something to prove.

"Hey Tej, can we speed this up?" Tori yelled out the window, tilting her head to men pushing their way through the crowd.

Tej took a quick look in that direction and saw a not too happy Enrique and Roberto. "Already ya'll we about to get this thing started... are you ready?!" he yelled out to the crowd getting them amped up which made it difficult for the guys to get through the chaos. Tej locked eyes with Dom, and then Tori. He raised his arms high letting them linger in the air for a second, and then dropped them. "Go!"

Just like that Dom and Tori took off from the starting line like bats out of hell. They raced neck and neck through the deserted streets not tapping the brake once. It was a piece of cake for Tori, she knew these streets like the back of her hand, so she had the advantage of catching Dom on the turns he didn't know about. As they raced on the straightway, Dom noticed the road ahead start to curve. He quickly switched gears to make the sharp left, and his eyes shot open cracking a small smile when he saw the back tires of Tori's Firebird drift on the turn. The car turned at ease giving it the appearance that it was gliding. The car straightened out snapped back in control and she kept on zooming. _'That's new,'_ Dom thought to himself. Snapping out of his daze, he pressed down on the gas pedal to catch up to her, and that he did. They were so close, it was going to be a photo finish. The front of Dom's car would inch up, and then Tori's would inch up, and that's how it was- back and forth. It was the home stretch. They both could see the finish as the crowd gathered ahead.

As they raced to the finish line, they notice that the bridge ahead started to open up. Dom couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked over at Tori and she back at him with a smile on her face and winked. Since she wasn't backing down, neither was he. Dom flipped his nos switch and mashed his foot down on the gas causing his body to be forced back into his seat. Tori in turn did the same thing and got the same exact reaction. The two of them reached the center of the rising ramp and there was no turning back. Their cars shot over the bridge ascending them into mid air. The look on their adrenaline filled faces was priceless, but their expressions soon changed when they looked at the scattering crowd.

Cop cars had appeared out of nowhere causing complete chaos, which Dom and Tori landed right in the middle of. Thinking on her feet, Tori made a hasty turn cutting across grass and ended up on the opposite side of traffic. She could not risk getting caught, and from the looks of it, neither could Dom. When she checked her rearview she saw that he was right behind her. Loud horns blared and she forced the angry drivers out of her way. Dom followed her as if she was a linebacker protecting her quarterback, moving whenever she moved.

Three cop cars were coming at them from the opposite side of the road, the only thing separating them was the island of grass and palm trees. One of the approaching officers stuck a large gun out of the window, and shot it at the vehicles hoping to hit one of them, but missed its target. Their heads turned around to get a look at the strange metal spear that shot into the asphalt and was completely caught off guard. While Tori was focused on what was behind her, she didn't see the two car road block up ahead. A cop stood next to his vehicle holding a gun similar to the one she'd just seen. With nowhere to go, Tori smashed her foot down on the gas punching through the two cars, but not before the officer got a shot off, firing into the side of her Firebird. Hey eyes widened when her dash and electrical system began to spark.

Dom was still right behind her. He watched as her car began to rattle and swerve, she was losing control and slowing down. Moving to the right side of her Firebird, he saw the spear sticking out. He moved in close to her, slowing down to match her speed. Using his thighs to steer, Dom removed his hands from the wheel and reached out his window to grasp the metal device. He pulled and pulled, but it didn't budge. Tori looked in her rearview and saw the flashing light moving in on them, her eyes then shifted to Dom. Seeing the panic that her eyes bore gave him the strength to snatch the object out of her car letting it fall to the ground.

As soon as Tori regained control, she speed up and Dom followed suit. The police cruisers were no match for the speed of the supped up muscle cars. After a few odd turns and some short cuts through alleyways, the cops had lost any trace of them.

Police cruisers were still lurking the area, so Tori led Dom to a parking garage. She drove up the winding ramp until she reached the top level and parked next to a red Mercedes McLaren that she kept tucked away. When she got out, Dom was already leaning against his car waiting for her.

"That was close. Is every night like this?" Dom asked as he watched her walk over to him.

"It hasn't been like that in a while, it must be quota time." Tori leaned against the passenger side door of the Charger eying the mysterious man in front her. "So Dominic, I believe we had a deal. What the hell were you doing out there?" She'd been waiting to ask that million dollar question that'd been racking her brain.

"The same thing you were doing. I found out that there was a large sum of cash being moved, so me and my team jumped at the opportunity. I had no idea we weren't going to be the only ones on the job."

The light brown hues of Tori's eyes could barely be seen through her narrowed slits. She tilted her head slightly to the left as she regarded the man before her. "And how did you know what the truck was carrying?"

A contained smirk came to his lips as his eyes shifted up from the ground. "I know a guy." was his vague and simple response.

There was a standoff between the two while Tori was still trying to figure out if she believed him or not. It all could have been a simple coincidence. No one in their right mind would cross Carter, but then again there's no honor amongst thieves. On the other hand he did just help her out after she tried to make him road kill, so she figured he couldn't be that bad. Therefore she decided to accept his answer… for now. Tori nodded her head moving their conversation along. "You're a really good driver. Where are you from?" Tori inquired trying to out more about him.

Dom shrugged his shoulders stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Here and there."

That sparked a chuckle from Tori. "I've heard of that place, I hear the weather's pretty nice around this time." She replied brushing off his blurred response. Dom cracked a full on smile and it caught her by surprise. It held her there transfixed. Looking at the slightly crooked twist of his full lips made her think back to the dream she had. Thoughts of his lips pressed against the tender flesh of her neck ran through her mind. Everything felt so real, too real to be a dream. Dom cleared his throat and she snapped out of the daze that she didn't even know she was in. Shaking the feeling, Tori ran her fingers across the shiny hood of his car. "This is one badass machine you've got here."

Dom noticed the shift in her, and he wondered where she went for that moment. The way she looked at him reminded Dom of the old Tori, that bond was still there even if she didn't know it. Tori stepped around him, moving to the front of the car. She glanced at the hood, and then up at Dom asking for permission to open it. He extended his hand to allow her, and she did just that. Dom walked over and stood next to her. He watched out the corners of his eyes as she admired his handiwork. "Yeah, she's a beauty… I built her with my dad. He used to race in the stock car circuit, but was killed in a wreck when a driver clipped his tail end." The tone of his voice changed to something lower reciting the dark memory.

"If you're trying to make me feel like crap for smashing into your car, then job well done." Hearing his story made her sympathize with him, but it also made her feel somewhat envious too. '_At least you have memories of your father.'_ She thought to herself. Tori reached up to close the hood, and turned facing Dom.

"Don't go losing sleep over it. This baby's had its fair share of lumps and bumps, but it just keeps on ticking." Dom replied glancing over the damage that he was still fixing.

"Don't we all." She mumbled under her breath. That was the story of her life at this point. "Listen, I want to thank you for saving my ass back there. You didn't have to do that."

"It was an ass worth saving." Dom spoke in a smooth flirtatious tone. His eyes freely ran over her body causing her face to flush, showing a blush. When she rubbed the back of her neck, he knew he was making her nervous- which was a good thing. "You ride like a woman a used to know; pedal to the metal, no holding back."

"Sounds like someone I wouldn't mind racing, but you said used to, is she dead or something?" Tori asked jokingly, but the downcast expression on his face made her want to take her words back. "I'm sorry, that was a shitty thing for me to say."

"You remind me of her, all heart. She was beautiful just like you… maybe a little prettier." Dom joked wanting to see her reaction. Tori rolled her eyes making him grin. "She wasn't afraid to get a little engine grease on her, and took no shit from anyone, especially me. She never backed down from challenge, and on top of that she knew her way around a stick shift."

"Sounds like the perfect woman." Tori replied.

"She is"

"Then she can't be anything like me." The night air was beginning to get colder. Tori wrapped her arms around herself rubbing her hands up and down to get rid of the goose bumps. With them being up on the roof, it didn't help any.

Seeing that she was cold, Dom took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She just looked at it at first, but another breeze shot by and she quickly tucked her arms in the sleeves. "You're more alike than you think." Dom adjusted the oversized jacket on her. His hands lingered on the collar letting his fingers brush against her skin.

A warm sensation rushed through her body feeling his thumb caress her collarbone. She was enjoying this just a little too much. Tori grabbed his hand stilling his motions and reached up to touch his forehead. Her nose slightly scrunched at the minor gash above his eyebrow that she figured he got when they were eluding the cops. "That cut is really bothering me… hang on a second." Tori went over to her Mercedes and opened up the passenger side door. She opened the glove box and pulled out a first aid kit.

Dom raised a humored eyebrow as he watched her walk the white box over to him. "You carry that in your car?"

"Comes with the territory, besides, you should be glad I have this. Now sit." She pushed his chest forcing him to sit on the hood of his car. The mom in her took over. She kicked his feet apart and stepped between his legs to get a better look at the small gash.

Dom just looked at her in awe as the many memories of her fixing up his wounds came rushing back to him. It was the little things like this that he missed. "Can I ask you a question?" he spoke while she shifted through the kit looking for ointments and bandages.

"Sure, can't say whether or not I'll answer it." She stated honestly as she cleaned the dried up blood.

"Why aren't you happy?" He asked and she paused. Dom could feel her tense up for a brief second. When he looked up at her, she smiled and continued cleaning him up.

"And what makes you think I'm not happy?" She asked, although she could think of hundreds of reasons herself.

"The eyes give it away, I can see it when you smile. There's no life behind them. A smile can be deceitful, it can hide a lot of things, but the eyes tell it all, they're the windows to your soul, and right now, they're telling me that you're not happy."

When he said this, she instantly broke eye contact with him looking down at the first aid kit. "I'm happier than most." She spoke- still with no contact. "Why do you care anyway?"

"I think the question is why doesn't your husband care?" Dom asked, and from the look on her face he knew that he hit a soft spot.

Tori lips thinned forming a scowl. She pressed the bandage down with more force than was necessary, causing him to flinch. "You're all fixed up now, I need to get going." Tori slammed the kit shut and walked away.

"Shit." Dom hopped off the car following behind her. "Wait a minute, I didn't mean anything by it." He called out, but she still ignored him and continued over to her car. "Tori!" he yelled out, and she froze.

Letting go of her car door, she turned around to face Dom. She wasn't used to being called by that name. _'Why shorten something so beautiful?'_ Carter would say. He always called her Victoria, it made her sound more refined for his high society friends. "Why'd you call me that?" she asked. It felt so familiar when Dom said it.

"It's your name isn't it?" Dom continued his strides, stopping barely an inch away from her. They were so close that they could feel each other's heart beat. Dom's hand slid up Tori's arm, and her soft eyes followed his every move until it stopped at her cheek. Her eyes locked onto his as if she was trying to figure him out- see his next move. "Damn you're beautiful." He spoke in a low grumble letting his eyes wander down to her lips that were well-known to him. Dom couldn't resist the urge anymore, he stepped closer sealing the space between them.

Before Tori could get a word out, his lips came crashing down on hers. Dom's strong hands placed gently on the small of her back crushing their bodies together. For a brief second there she froze up, but was soon returning the kiss. Her lips were as soft and inviting as he remembered. Tori let out a soft moan and she realized she was secretly yearning for this kiss, she was curious about the real thing. For a brief moment she felt like she was drowning in him. Her hands lay flat on his chest, feeling the muscle hidden beneath the material of his shirt. She was desperately trying to keep from wrapping her arms around him; she wasn't supposed to want this, but her body was making her do things that her mind knew she shouldn't. Dom's hands locked on her waist and with a pivot of his feet, he had Tori crushed between him and her car. _'This is wrong.'_ she thought to herself, yet it felt so right.

All of a sudden, her good senses came back. Tori brought her knee up, slamming it right into his testicles. Dom froze and his eyes widened. The shock on his face was priceless as he slowly sunk to his knees cursing all the way. Tori blinked rapidly, stuck from the aftermath of their kiss. Once she got herself together, she flung open her car door

Seeing that she was about to get away, Dom quickly scrambled to his feet. He limped over to Tori, and place a hand on her shoulder. "Tori wait, don't-"

She turned around with the speed of lightening and a balled up fist that connected with Dom's jaw causing him to stagger back a few steps. "We'll call this one a tie." Tori spoke. This time when Dom looked at her, he saw a bit of anger in her eyes, anger and confusion. Sparing him one last glance, Tori started the car and before Dom knew it her tires were spinning and leaving behind tread marks.

Standing there alone, and in the dark, Dom reached up to touch the aching pain at the corner of his mouth. When he removed his thumb he saw a small trace of blood. Dom tried to crack a smile, but winced instead. He had gotten to her. Now all he had to do was wait for her to come looking him. After all, she did have his jacket.


	9. Chapter 9

The heat died down and Dom made his way through the city and back to the safe house. He navigated through back streets and dark alleys to get to the old abandoned warehouse. Dom pulled up to the gate and honked the horn twice. A second or two ticked by and it slowly rose. From the looks of it the team had already found their way back. All of their cars were parked side by side and he pulled in right next to them. When Dom got out of his car, there was a hulking figure waiting for him.

Hobbs stood in front of Dom's Charger with his arms folded across his broad chest. His face was stone as he eyed him down. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing Toretto?"

Dom glanced up at the hard looking man and slammed his car door shut. "Getting out of my car." He brushed past Hobbs, but came to a halt when a hand was laid on his shoulder.

"I told you to get close to her, not compromise my mission." said Hobbs.

Dom looked down at the hand that still lingered on his shoulder and back up at Hobbs "You were following me?" he asked as he turned around to him.

"You bet your ass I followed you." He stated in his firm and unapologetic tone as he stared the other man down. Dom shook his head and began to walk away, but Hobbs just followed behind him. "We haven't picked up a feed on the wire yet-"

"And you're not... I didn't plant the wire on her." Dom continued over to their makeshift refrigerator that only carried necessities, the rest was left up to take out. He plundered through the fridge grabbing an ice cold water bottle and held it to his jaw that still throbbed. When he turned around he was met by Hobbs who still wanted answers.

"Why the hell not?" Hobbs asked with his arms folded across his chest. His large muscular build was enough to scare the world's toughest man, but Dom wasn't so easily intimidated.

"I couldn't risk her finding it. I thought we were trying to gain her trust?" he asked rhetorically. Dom was getting more and more agitated which each question. It was late, he was tired, and he didn't like the fact that he had to report to someone, especially a cop.

"Seems to me like you're trying to gain more than her trust." Hobbs replied, but Dom simply ignored him. This was going to be tougher than he expected if Dom couldn't put his personal feelings aside. Hobbs ran his hand across his scalp letting out an easy breath. He took a step closer in an attempt to level with Dom. "Listen, I know how hard this must be for you-"

Anger over boiled in Dom causing his head to snap around in Hobbs direction pointing his finger in his face. "You don't know shit!" he shouted with veins bulging from his neck. The sound of footsteps alerted Dom, he turned to see Letty.

Letty stood there with a wide eyed perplexed expression as she stared at the scene before her. If she didn't know any better she would have thought they were about to come to blows. "What's going on here?" she asked, focusing on Dom.

"Nothing." Dom replied with his eyes still on Hobbs, who himself was unmoved. He glanced over at Letty and noticed the large duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "What's with the luggage?"

"We're moving you to a new home." Hobbs voice cut in. When Dom turned to him, he went on to further explain. "Carter had your files pulled, but we already altered your background so there's no link between you and Victoria. Looks like you've caught his attention." Hobbs walked away leaving his words to linger in the air.

Vince walked pass Hobbs whom was exiting the room with a peeved off expression. When he approached Dom, he noticed that he had the same air about him. His eyes squinted while looking at his friend. The lighting in the room wasn't the best, but it still didn't hide the red mark on his face. "What the hell happened to you?" Vince asked.

"I kissed her."

Letty and Vince laughed, shaking their head as they walked away. "Sure hope it was worth it." Vince called over his shoulder.

Dom thought back to his altercation with Tori and a slow smirk formed on his face. "It was." He said to himself.

It was extremely late when Tori found herself tip toeing into her home. After leaving Dom on the rooftop, she just drove around the city trying to clear her mind. That kiss was unexpected, yet everything she'd thought it would, and then some. The mere thought of this strange man put a smile on her face. It was something about the way he carried himself, the calm yet determined look in his eyes as he raced his car, but most of all it was his touch that did it for her. There was something in his touch that sparked a fire in her, and that was a bad thing. Tori knew it was wrong for her to be thinking about Dom like this, but she couldn't help it. Every since she saw him on that highway, he's been on her mind. The only thing she could think of to fix it was to just stay away from him. If Carter were to ever find out about that kiss she knew he'd have him killed without a second thought. Tori was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the woman behind her calling her name. A tap on the shoulder brought her back to life causing a surprised gasp. Tori turned around to see the Rose standing there.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Verone, I didn't mean to scare you." Rose said while looking at the jumpy woman.

Tori smiled letting out a relieved breath seeing who it was. "It's okay, my head was just somewhere else." She replied and the older woman nodded. Tori gave a brief glance at her watch and looked up with a puzzled expression. "It's three in the morning Rose, you were off hours ago. Why aren't you home in bed?" she asked.

"Cameron wasn't feeling well." Rose replied. Tori's eyes widened with panic and stared to move towards the stairs, but she put her hand out stopping her. "Oh don't worry, it was just a stomach ache. He's much better now, but Mr. Verone asked me to stay because he's very busy."

"Asked or told?" Tori asked, and she got her answer when Rose looked away. She knew how Carter was… always the dictator ordering people around. It figures he would make Rose stay and take care of Cameron, instead of him doing it. She had a family of her own that she rarely got to see because she was always there working. "It's late Rose, why don't you call a cab to take you home." said Tori. She reached in her pocket, fished out a hundred and gave it to Rose. "Take tomorrow off and call me the next time this happens."

"Thank you Mrs. Verone." Rose smiled and started to walk away, but suddenly stopped and turned back around. "Oh and the um, the jacket?" Rose cautiously inquired. "It's nice, but it doesn't look like it fits you." She gave the baggy leather material a brief once over. Tori slapped her forehead not knowing how she could be so forgetful and quickly rid herself of the jacket. "Here, I should take it, your husband's still awake." said Rose.

Tori froze hearing that. If Carter was up at this hour it was for one reason only, he was waiting on her. She handed the jacket to Rose, and took a calming breath before walking from the foyer and into the living room. When she entered, the first thing she saw was Carter sitting on the sofa with a glass of brandy in his hand while flipping through a folder. She walked over to the sofa taking a seat beside him. "And what are you doing up sir?" she asked, turning his chin to face her so she could kiss his lips. When she pulled away, her eyes glanced down to the files on his lap, but his voice grabbed her attention.

"I could ask you the same thing sweetheart. Where were you?" Carter sat his drink down on the table turning to face her. His fingers toyed with the curls that lay on her chest while his eyes stared her down as if he was calculating her every move.

Tori kept her smile intact. She couldn't let him see her sweat or else she'd be up all night being interrogated until he was satisfied. "I went to the races like you asked, things got a little hot with the cops so I took off for a bit." Tori replied sounding cool and collected. She reached for the glass that he just sat down, but Carter put his hand out stopping her.

"You shouldn't do that. Doctors orders if we're going to have another baby." The way she tensed when he mentioned the word baby didn't go unnoticed by him. Carter let it be known on several occasions that he wanted another child, and was very adamant about it.

She looked down at the glass, and then back up at him. "Of course, I forgot." Tori got up from the sofa and made her way to the kitchen. As she walked she heard the distinct clack of Carters shoes against the marble floor and knew he was following behind her.

"So did you find us any new drivers? You were out long enough." He said while watching her back.

Tori searched through the fridge before emerging with a bottle of water. After closing the door, she leaned against it and twisted the cap to the bottle holding it to her lips while Carter leaned against the Island in front of her waiting for an answer. Once quenching her thirst, she lowered the bottle from her face. "Nope, no one caught eye tonight. I'll try again next week." She said with a shrug of the shoulders. That was far from the truth. Dom was one of the best, if not the best driver she's seen, but for some reason she felt the urge to keep him away from the influences of Carter. Dom seemed like a nice guy and she didn't want him getting tangled up with her husband, nothing good would come of it.

Carter's blue eyes pierced through Tori, holding her in that spot. "Really, no one at all?" He asked and her answer stayed the same. Carter nodded his head slowly and tossed the files he was carrying on the counter top. "What about these guys?" Tori walked over to the counter. There were mug shots and photo's of everyone she'd just met sprawled out, some of them taken from tonight. "Enrique and Roberto tells me that this one in particular caught your eye." His finger pointed to a picture of Dom.

She picked up the photo of Dom taken from the races and her mind drifted back to the rooftop. Having realized she was still looking his 8x10, she tossed it to the wayside with the rest of the files, looking back to Carter. "Like I said, no one caught my eye. I don't know anything about them except they're friends of Tej's and that could cause problems. They could be cops for all we know."

"I did a background check on them, the entire crew has jackets ranging from grand theft auto, illegal street racing… of course, robbery, and get this… assault." Carter ran down their rap sheets, but one stood out to him the most. "Their leader, Dominic Toretto did time in Lompoc for nearly beating a man half to death with a wrench. I could use a guy like that."

Shrugging off his words Tori sat down on the countertop swinging her feet while sipping her water. "Those are just words on a paper. These guys appeared out of nowhere and I think it's too big of a risk to take."

Carter walked over to Tori and stepped between her legs placing his palms on either side of her. "Listen, you wanted quality drivers, so here they are. And from my understanding, he managed to beat you; you might be losing your touch darling." He said in a teasing manner.

A snort like sound escaped her, "bullshit, he didn't beat me." She rolled her eyes looking away from him.

His hand reached out to grasp her chin turning her head back to face him. "But he came close and that's the point. So what I want you to do is get the invites together, because we're having a party." With his hold still intact, he guided her face to his latching his lips onto hers. She returned the kiss, which was to be expected. Once he let go, he walked away knowing that nothing else needed to be said.

As soon as Carter left the room, Tori went straight for the liquor cabinet. Leaving the bottle of water on the counter to be forgotten, she poured herself some of his very expensive scotch that she despised, but needed at this time. Carter had no idea what he was asking of her. She just decided that the smart decision would be to stay away from Dom, but that was going to be impossible if he started working with Carter, which would ultimately mean working with her. There was an attraction there that she couldn't deny, but she didn't want to encourage it either, especially with Carter around. Tori knew how possessive and jealous he could be, that was a side of him that showed more often than not. Sometimes she wondered how she ever ended up with someone like him, but that thought faded every time she saw her son. Tori finished her drink and headed to bed, all the while hoping that Dom would be smart and not take Carter up on his offer.

The team were all getting settled in their front house near the water. They now had their own rooms, an actual kitchen, and to Leon's pleasure, cable television. It was almost like being back home, everyone was up to their usual shenanigans. Mia was in the kitchen cooking while Letty and Gisele were out back with the guys. Instead of there being a yard it was a patio that lead to the beach. Dom sat back listening to the conversation taking place around him. Brian was trying to plot their next move. It had been days since Dom's run in with Tori, yet there was still no word from her or Carter.

"I say we just approach him straight up." Rome blurted out. All of this hanging around the races waiting for Carter to show up was wearing thin on him.

Brian nodded, slowly thinking the idea over. "That could work. We show some balls; that might go a long way with a guy like him."

"That'll get you killed with a guy like him." Gisele chimed in. "Carter's very careful with who he lets in his circle. People don't go looking for the devil, he usually comes for them." There was a certainty to her voice that made no one second guess what she said, so once again they had hit a wall.

"You worked for this guy before, what happens now?" Letty asked.

"Now we wait." Gisele replied.

"And if nothing happens, then what?" Letty asked once more.

Before Gisele could say anything the sliding glass door opened and Mia stepped out with Tej following behind her. "We have company guys." Said Mia as she walked over to where Brian sat.

Tej stood there on the patio. The aroma coming from the smoking grill and the ample beers lying around caught his attention. His face fixed with a smirk looking at the people around him. "Well damn, I guess my invite got lost in the mail."

Brian laughed and reached into the cooler beside him. "Here, have a beer." He tossed the bottle over to Tej and he caught it.

"How nice of you, it's the least you can do after I came all the way over here in this hot ass sun."

"To what do we owe this honor?" Brian asked.

"I had a visitor this morning. Victoria stopped by my shop today and asked if I could drop something off." Tej walked over to Dom holding his jacket in hand. "I believe this belongs to you."

Dom stood and took his jacket. _'So she's avoiding me.'_ He thought to himself. He was hoping that she would be the one to return it.

Letty was watching the exchange between the men when something caught her eye. "There's something hanging out the pocket." She stated and pointed to said object. Dom reached in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "What does it say?" Letty asked.

When Dom opened the envelope he found a small purple card inside. Dom held it between his fingers looking at the front of it. "It's just an address and a time on it."

Vince got up and took the card from him to get a look at it. He flipped the card from front to back giving a perplexed look at its lack of detail. "Maybe she wants to meet." Vince shrugged his shoulders and gave it back to Dom.

"It's an invitation." Came Gisele's matter of fact tone causing heads to turn her way. "You wanted the devils attention, now you got it." She said with a knowing smirk and took a sip from her beer. The games were now about to begin.


End file.
